Warwick group buys time to plan its charter school

WARWICK — An effort to establish a second charter school in the mid-Hudson has encountered another setback.

Comment

By Pauline Liu

recordonline.com

By Pauline Liu

Posted Dec. 4, 2013 at 2:00 AM

By Pauline Liu

Posted Dec. 4, 2013 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

WARWICK — An effort to establish a second charter school in the mid-Hudson has encountered another setback.

The DIRT Charter School team has pulled its bid for the second time in two years. The move came before the state Board of Regents could put the application to a vote.

The news was made official Monday, though supporters were notified over the long Thanksgiving weekend.

"After much consideration, the founding applicants for DIRT Charter School have decided to withdraw the application to open September 2014 and resubmit to the NYS Charter Office for a September 2015 start," said spokeswoman Allison Berman.

DIRT — which stands for Developing Innovative Rural Thinking — intended to open next fall for 252 students in grades K-six. Half of the students were to come from the Warwick Valley School District. The charter school team was also seeking students from other districts, including Florida, Goshen, Greenwood Lake and Middletown.

Warwick Superintendent Ray Bryant had warned parents that the district would be forced to close yet another school and cut programs in order to pay for the independently run public school. He estimated that the per pupil costs to his district alone would have approached $2 million.

"The withdrawal of their application just prior to the final hearing is a relief," Bryant said. "The opening of a local charter school would have come at a great cost to area school districts and students," he added.

Many parents and district employees testified against the proposed school at a hearing in October. Some pointed out that Warwick already has award-winning innovative programs.

The charter school plan would focus on community-based education and local agriculture. According to Berman, more than 300 students from 15 school districts have signed up.

As it prepares to resubmit its application, the team will begin hosting local events and ironing out the logistics to running the school, Berman explained.

"We will be working with local farmers and businesses to procure produce to be used in school meals and local commercial brokers to locate an appropriate facility," she said.

Newburgh Preparatory Charter High School remains the region's first and only charter school. Located in the City of Newburgh, it's geared to dropouts.